Opening Doors to Better Collections

Deborah Cassar, Head of Operations, Doorstep, for the lewis group explains how engaging with customers in the way that is most comfortable for them is the key to success in collections.

A ‘one size fits all’ approach is rarely, if ever, the best policy. This is certainly true from the perspective of treating customers fairly, but also in terms of achieving a positive outcome for all parties. It really is a case of assessing the specifics of the situation and adopting the approach that is likely to elicit the best response.

Some customers react well to letters, others respond to prompts by SMS or email. There are those who are looking to a solution that can be entirely impersonal, like a web payment portal such as icanpayu.co.uk, and others who feel more comfortable speaking with an agent over the phone. But there will aways though be those for whom the best outcomes will only ever be achieved through direct personal contact.

For the lewis group, doorstep collection is an essential part of a policy of engaging with the customer in ways that are easiest for them, and consequently most likely to lead to success.  And doorstep can most certainly be successful: under some of our current arrangements, as many as one in three visits results in a positive outcome – a considerable achievement when you consider that most agencies have exhausted their best efforts by this stage in the collections process.

Success is everything to do with understanding your customers’ behaviour. Letters can be put away in drawers, legal summons ignored both through inertia and an inability to see a possible resolution. A ‘head in the sand’ reaction is not uncommon. What a visit from a Doorstep Collector achieves is to put a human face to what is otherwise a remote and potentially daunting process. Some customers feel a sense of genuine relief, and the ability to talk through their problems face to face with a well trained collector who is sympathetic to their position can help them devise stategies around repayment of their debts and more effective management of their finances, particularly at a time when conventional banking and payment options may be denied them.

The lewis group’s doorstep operation has gained a well deserved and positive reputation over the years, justifiably reflected by the extremely low level of complaints received, indeed among the lowest in the industry. But this is not a matter of luck. This is the result of significant on-going investment in skills and training, and an approach to industry compliance that extends far beyond the all too common “box ticking” mentality.